


this conversation ain't comin' easily

by shindouchrono



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Character Study, Emotional Vulnerability but at what cost, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 18:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18744274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shindouchrono/pseuds/shindouchrono
Summary: Chrono almost hated how well Shion knew him.





	this conversation ain't comin' easily

Chrono never minded the cold. Actually, after long night walks after hours at the card shop, he'd grown to love it even more than he used to. He wasn't used to being honest about things he liked, and even something like the weather was no exception. 

He's not thinking about anything in particular, sitting on the ground of the balcony. Chrono stares up at the stars, music playing quietly from his phone. Nothing with lyrics, because he wasn't in the mood. It was some classical stuff that Shion had shared and Chrono ended up actually liking. 

As the years passed, Chrono had gotten better with others. It seemed like he'd changed a lot. It wasn't that long ago he didn't have any friends at all, and he was satisfied with that life. He used to be always glaring, even if he wasn't in a bad mood. To anyone on the outside, it probably seemed like a stark change to see Chrono smiling.

Which made him wonder if it was a bad thing.

Kamui said it was nice to see him smile like that. Shin and Mikuru agreed how heartwarming it was to see Chrono finally out of his shell.

Trinity Dragon teased him about it, but in the way that Chrono had surprisingly learned to love. TRY3, of course, smiled at him gently the way they always did and supported him through everything. 

Chrono watches the trees sway in the gentle breeze. He shudders despite himself. His hands are starting to go a bit numb, but he doesn't find himself wanting to return back to the warmth inside just yet. 

Winter had only just begun, and Chrono could feel it. His body loses feeling and he begins to shiver. Reluctantly, he returns inside.

He pulls his jacket on upon returning to his bed, and crawls into it almost immediately. Chrono flinches and glances at his hands. They were bright red and split open. The skin seemed rather… tight. It didn't look at all how it was supposed to. Chrono sighs.

Frostbite, huh? He didn't think it was all that cold out there, but, oh well. Chrono wiggles his fingers, trying to will feeling back into them. He can't feel his hand, and it's barely moving. Chrono heaves another sigh and flops face first onto his bed.

He wasn’t out there that long, was he? Reaching for his phone, he checks the time, and realizes his mistake. Chrono had been out there nearly three hours, in the freezing cold. He sighs into his pillow. 

It’s too cold, now, to move and change into pajamas. Chrono simply closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

He wakes up to his alarm blaring loudly. In his haste to turn it off to stop the incessant ringing, Chrono accidentally knocks it off his side table. There’s a very loud and sharp shatter, and then silence. Comforted, Chrono falls asleep for just a bit longer.

When he finally wakes up again, he curses himself from about two hours earlier. He stares at the broken alarm clock on the ground, and the shards of glass on his floor. Chrono sighs, and resigns himself to going out and getting a new one. 

Carefully, he gets out of bed and makes breakfast, dreading needing to cleanup the shards all over his floor. In his heart, he knew that he’d likely miss a few and be pulling glass out of his feet for weeks to come. He could push it off for his future self, but--well, he was already pretty angry at himself for breaking the clock in the first place.

He fiddles with the utensils he’s eating with, wishing he could turn back time and unbreak that damn clock, or better yet not need an alarm to wake up in the first place. Chrono used to be better at getting up right when he needed to, but slowly, it got harder for him to do that. He didn’t really know why, and he didn’t really want to think about why either.

“Ow, shit.” Chrono looks at his hand, flinching. Wow, that sure is frostbite. Wow, he sure is an idiot for letting that happen, huh. He groans. Today just wasn’t his day, but hopefully it'll get better.

It hasn’t yet, he thinks to himself as he steps into the store. He even went out of his way to put on his favorite t-shirt, the one that Tokoha and Shion still made fun of him for wearing. Hey, it made him happy, so it was fine. At least he didn’t try and wear it with white jeans. That’d be something to make fun of.

Chrono makes his way to the section with clocks, trying to identify something that looked like it wouldn’t be annoying to hear every morning. He finds himself distracted, caught looking at fancy looking hourglasses and absolutely adorable cuckoo clocks, ones with cats with shifty eyes. He hears a familiar chuckle from behind him, and turns around, wondering if his ears were deceiving him. 

“Shion?”

He’s right, though. His best friend is standing with an amused look on his face. Despite Chrono’s slight embarrassment at being seen like this, he knows it’s fine since it’s him, and also he was just happy to see his friend. 

“Staring at clocks? You’ve been standing here for upwards of twenty minutes.” 

Chrono frowns, arms crossing over his chest. “You were seriously standing there for twenty minutes watching me look at clocks, you weirdo? Y’know you could have said hi to me at any point during those twenty minutes, right?”

Shion snorts. “But how else could I make fun of you for staring at clocks for twenty minutes. And by the way, I don’t think Mikuru-san would enjoy hearing that cuckoo at night, even if it is a cat.”

“You’re leaving yourself open to me making fun of you, though!” Despite his slightly harsh tone, the redhead feels his cheeks flush a little bit. Seriously, Shion knew him way too well. “And I know that. I just think it’s cute. What are you doing here, anyways? Did you have any plans today, other than watching me like a weirdo?” 

“Is weirdo the only word in your vocabulary?”

“Gimme a break, man. I was half-asleep earlier and knocked my alarm clock off my nightstand and it literally shattered into pieces. I spent like an hour cleaning it up, but I know I’m gonna keep stepping on glass for the next month.” 

It takes a couple minutes for Shion to stop laughing at him. 

“I bet you went right back to sleep and woke up realizing what had happened.” 

Chrono clicks his tongue and turns away, choosing to stare at clocks instead of his best friend’s stupidly pretty smug face. “Shut up.” 

“You can say I’m right. I won’t judge you.” 

“Sorry, can’t hear you over the sound of all of these clocks, and the sound of me ignoring you. Very loudly.” The redhead mutters, frowning. “But seriously. Were you just in the mood to go sightseeing?” 

Shion shrugs his shoulders, fingers reaching out to touch the rows and rows of clocks. “I guess. I kinda just wanted to walk around, you know? Be someone other than Shion Kiba today.” 

“Mmm…” Chrono sneaks a peek at his best friend’s expression, and what he sees his just what he expects. It’s a lonely looking expression that makes Chrono want to pull Shion in for a very tight hug. He resists the urge. “Well, if you don’t have anything better to do, Mr. Not-Shion, you can help me pick out clocks, and help me with grocery shopping.”

The blonde puts his chin in his hands, an expression of deep thought that Chrono knows is exaggerated. “I’d consider it, but only if you cooked me dinner as compensation for my efforts.”

Chrono finds himself laughing. “Pfft. Like you’d need compensation. We both know you’re more than happy to spend time with me watching paint dry.” 

“I don’t think you even remotely have the patience for that, Chrono.” 

The redhead grins, puffing his chest out. “You’d be surprised.” 

Shion laughs, and they go on their way through the store, looking for a suitable alarm clock. Eventually, they find something that almost resembles a Gear Chronicle unit, and then swing by a craft store to pick up tools to make it look exactly like that same unit.

 

* * *

 

They’re walking down the aisles at the grocery store when Shion suddenly grabs Chrono’s hand, examining it closely. Chrono finds himself spluttering, confused and embarrassed until he realizes why his best friend is suddenly incredibly interested in his hands.

“Is this frostbite?” Shion asks, and it’s very obviously a rhetorical question, but Chrono finds himself nodding anyways. “What happened?” He looks concerned, and Chrono smiles at him, trying to ease his worries.

“Nothing happened, Shion. I’m okay, I just was outside way longer than I thought without a jacket. It’s mild frostbite, too, so I’m okay. Promise.”

He still looks concerned, and Chrono finds himself wanting to brush away the worry on Shion’s brow, but he doesn’t. 

“If you say so, but I’m still worried. I can’t even count the amount of times you’ve said you were fine, and that everything is okay, only for it to be a big ol’ lie and have you calling Tokoha and I crying--”

“Okay, that was one time.” Chrono interrupts, pulling his hand away. “That was one time, and it wasn’t even a big deal and totally doesn’t apply to your example here at all. It was a really sad musical.” 

“You know what I mean, though! We’re your best friends, but you’re still holding back, aren’t you? You know, I don’t mind if you wake me up if you need to talk. I can just hug you, if you want.”

Chrono feels his cheeks getting steadily and steadily redder. “Okay, okay. I promise. I’ll call you if there’s a problem, and you better do the same. But can we have this conversation somewhere else, instead of a grocery store? People are starting to stare.” 

Shion looks around, but he doesn’t really seem to care. He sighs. “Fine. But you promised. I’m holding you to it.” 

“Mhm. You can beat me up later for it if I break the promise. More importantly, though, what do you want for dinner?”

“Salmon over rice.” 

Chrono snorts. “Wow, that was quick. Are you sure you weren’t just waiting in that store for me to show up so I could cook for you?”

The blonde laughs, looking just a little bit guilty. “I’m sure, but I have been craving the way you cook. Even my chefs can’t compare.” 

“That’s a little too much praise, man.” Despite his words, Chrono find himself grabbing the nicest looking salmon the store has. He wanted to live up to Shion’s expectations of his cooking, after all. “You staying the night, too? I still have some of your clothes and your extra toothbrush, so it’s fine if you wanna.” 

Shion pauses, but eventually nods his head. “If that’s fine with you and Mikuru-san, I’d be delighted to.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m home!” Chrono calls, even though Mikuru wasn’t home yet. He slips off his shoes and sets the grocery bags on the counter.

Shion slips his off, too, and makes his way to the kitchen. “Pardon the intrusion.” He looks around, smile on his lips. “Mikuru-san isn’t home yet, huh? I guess it’s still pretty early. Did you tell her I was over?”

“Mmm, thanks for reminding me.” Chrono pulls his phone out of his back pocket, fingers tapping across the screen as he types. “Alright. Done. I also told her I’m making salmon tonight, so don’t eat every little bit, okay?”

“Darn.” He says, and Chrono snorts.

The redhead unloads the groceries and Shion helps. Chrono pulls out his apron and throws it over his head, haphazardly tying it in the back. Shion watches with a brow raises. “What?”

“C’mere, Chrono.” Shion doesn’t wait for Chrono’s reply, and instead unties the apron’s ribbon and re-ties it with a practiced, fancy flourish that the redhead can’t even see at this angle. “There we go.”

It wasn’t the first time Shion had tied Chrono’s apron, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. This was a newer apron, though, one Chrono had been gifted a couple of months ago. He was really fond of it. It was just a black apron, but the ribbons were pure white. It was a nice detail that Chrono enjoyed. 

“Thanks.” Chrono replies, and starts gathering out all of the ingredients. “You can go sit down, by the way. You look like an idiot just standing there doing nothing.” 

“Let me help. Your hand is still injured, isn’t it?” 

Chrono sighs, knowing there was no point in trying to win this. He sighs, and hands over some greens to Shion. “Fine. Can you chop these up? Broccoli short, and spinach cut roughly. It doesn’t need to be perfect, probably in thirds or fourths is fine. It’s just a pain to eat if it’s not cut.” 

Shion complies, and they prepare dinner in silence. “Do you want me to get the rice started?”

“Mm, yes, please. Two--no, three cups. If Mikuru-san’s gonna eat it. If we run out we can just make more, so it’s fine.” 

“Okay.” 

Chrono thinks that Shion’s really grown from when they first met. In retrospect, they’d known each other for less time than they’d been alive. The amount of time they spent not knowing each other was far greater than the time they spent knowing each other, but Chrono really wouldn’t want it any other way.

They’d all become so much different, but still the same. The redhead wonders to himself if the Shion that he first met would be so willing and so stubborn to help out in the kitchen. He wonders if that Shion would be shocked to see how close they had become. Chrono wonders, that maybe, just maybe, if the Shion from the past would be happy to see that he had Chrono by his side.

He wipes tears welling up in his eyes. 

Chrono wonders if Shion found him just as irreplaceable. He felt like the answer should be obvious, but the redhead realized how hard it was to stifle his brain’s whispers, the ones that said neither he nor Tokoha wanted him around, that he was a burden, that they didn’t actually need him or care about him, and only kept him around out of habit.

Despite the evidence of the contrary, his brain was rather persistent. But skinning and descaling the salmon silenced his brain’s taunts long enough to finish dinner. 

Shion’s undeniably happy as he eats, eyes sparkling like stars. Chrono’s happy he liked it, even though it was the same recipe for his salmon that he always used. He couldn’t fight the anxiety. 

“That was amazing. Thank you for the meal, Chrono.”

“No prob, but it wasn’t just me. Thanks to you too, Shion. It was a team effort, right?”

Shion laughs, nodding his head. “Isn’t it always?”

They wash the dishes and Chrono sets out a plate covered by foil for Mikuru. After that, they head to relax in Chrono’s bedroom. The redhead’s stretching when Shion breaks the silence between them. 

“How’s your hand? The water didn’t irritate it?”

The redhead looks down at his hand, examining it. It was still red and cracked in some places, but it didn’t hurt too badly. “Dunno. It’s not that bad, though.” It really wasn’t, but Chrono objectively understands his best friend’s worry. Chrono wasn’t super careful with how he treated his body most of the time, much to everyone’s chagrin. 

Shion looks like he wants to say something more, but doesn’t. “Why’d you stay out so long in the cold, anyways? Though I guess it isn’t out of character for you to do something like that.”

“Y’know, that sounds a lot like an insult.” And it probably was meant to be one, but the loving tone Shion spoke in removed all bite from his words, and Chrono found himself smiling instead of being angry. 

The blonde shrugs, amused smile on his lips. “Well, maybe just a little bit. But I’m just teasing you.”

“But, uh. I dunno, honestly. I was thinking about a lot of stuff.” He leans against the wall, feeling the bed creak as he does. Emotions and thoughts he wanted to ignore came flooding to the surface, and he finds himself biting down on his lip to focus on something else. “I was just… thinking.”

“Overthinking?” Shion asks, knowing look in his eyes, and Chrono laughs. It was a bad habit of his, one that TRY3 knew very well. 

“You got me there. I just was thinking that I’m a lot different. I guess we still haven’t known each other for like, years and years, but I know I’m not at all like how I used to be, you know?”

Shion nods, crossing his ankles. His legs are hanging off the bed. “I know what you mean. I think the me from when we first met would be really shocked to know I’ll the things I’ve been through.”

“Tell me about it.” Chrono says, sighing. “I’d seriously punch anyone if they tried to tell me I’d form a team with you guys. Form a team with anyone, really. Man, I used to be so standoffish.” 

“You really were. You were always glaring, too.” Shion laughs, looking amused. “But you weren’t mad or anything. Weren’t you just lonely?”

The redhead clicks his tongue, turning away so his best friend can’t see the blush forming on his cheeks. “You’re one to talk. It’s not like you had any actual friends, either. Everyone around you just wanted to be friends with you because you were a Kiba.”

“You’re right.” Shion affirms, looking a little bit distant. “I always hated those people, but a part of me admired them, too.” He watches as Chrono’s expression changes to something akin to shock. “Surprised? I honestly was too, once I realized what it was I was feeling. I was jealous of all those people who could want things from people freely. They wanted to be friends with me out of their own selfishness. Before Vanguard, I hadn’t been able to be selfish, not even once. Everything I did was for the sake of the Kiba name.

“But that all changed. It took so long for me to accept it, but I finally realized I could be free. You said it best, I think. So long ago, you said I wasn’t special because I was Shion Kiba. That’s not why we were friends. Me being a Kiba didn’t matter to you or Tokoha. All that mattered was that I was me.” He laughs, and Chrono sees that his cheeks are a bit flushed. “Honestly, I don’t think any feeling could top when I realized that. That you guys didn’t care about who my family was.”

“It was the same for Tokoha, huh.” Chrono mutters, and Shion nods. “Everyone around her, except Kumi, honestly, just wanted to be near her because she was an Anjou. They didn’t see her as Tokoha. All they saw her as was Mamoru Anjou’s little sister. I never thought that was fair of any of them. Like…” He pauses, thinking about how to word his thoughts. “I got kinda jealous of the people who were with you two as kids. I mean, they had all that time with you for most of your life, and I just feel like they didn’t treasure you guys enough. They don’t know how lucky they were.” 

Shion smiles. “It’s rare to hear you be so upfront about how you’re feeling.”

“Hey,” Chrono frowns. “I’m plenty honest.”

“Uh-huh. That is definitely correct, and I am making my 'you're right' face.” His voice is soaked with sarcasm, and the blonde’s amused smirk doesn’t fade, and neither does the look of love in his eyes. “People weren’t near you at all, though. You didn’t have anyone except Mikuru-san, right?”

Chrono nods, not wanting to put the affirmation into words.

“I didn’t, you’re right. It’s funny, actually. I used to always go on and on about how I wanted to be independent, or how I wanted to move out and never rely on anyone again. But I know now that’s not what I actually wanted. What I actually wanted was to be wanted, to have somewhere I didn’t need to worry about not being good enough, or being a burden. I wanted somewhere to belong. I never had that until I met you guys.” 

“All three of us were alone for so long, huh. It’s a little bit sad to think about. But we have each other now, right?” Shion looks a little bit amused, suddenly. “I wonder if we’d get along as kids? Maybe not. I think we’d just end up fighting, but we’d probably end up the same way, no matter what happens.”

Chrono thinks very briefly back to the Perfect Future Ryuzu created, how those two were still with him in what was the supposed ideal world. That meant, in his heart, he wanted to be by their side forever. It was just as validating as it was embarrassing. “I guess so, huh. But I lived in an orphanage. I doubt we would have run into each other.”

“That’s true, but it’s still fun to think about it anyways.” Shion looks over at Chrono’s desk, at the photo frame in the corner. There are more photos taped to the wall, memories that the blonde knew his best friend treasured. “I think, no matter what, we somehow would have met and become friends. That’s embarrassing to admit, though.” 

“It’s just as embarrassing to hear, don’t worry.” Chrono fiddles with the sleeve of his jacket. “Sometimes I think about Ryuzu’s Perfect Future. The ideal world, or whatever. Both of my parents were there with me, and so was Vanguard, and so was… you two. I guess that’s just proof I--I, uh…” 

Shion pats him on the shoulder. “Your face is getting pretty red.”

“Can it, pretty boy.” 

Shion laughs, and Chrono’s heart feels incredibly warm. He finds himself laughing along. The pair of them keep talking, even as the sun begins to set and the stars shine, visible through Chrono’s bedroom window. The conversation shifts to the beginning of high school. 

“It was really weird, y’know? Not seeing you and Tokoha everyday like I used to. Honestly, I was pretty upset about it.”

“I don’t blame you.” The blonde watches as Chrono pulls his legs in closer, and Shion furrows his brows, worried. Chrono’s expression changes. He suddenly looks small. “Are you overthinking again?”

“I don't know,” Chrono starts, voice shaking.  He was, honestly. He was overthinking, but he thought about these sorts of things all the time. He thought about it so long that he stayed out in the cold and got frostbite. “The thing is, I used to be so good at being alone. Like, really good. Even when I was home alone for months at a time because of Mikuru-san’s work, I was fine. I was younger then, too. But, like… one day, I was really fuckin’ bad at being alone. Suddenly I couldn't do it. When you guys left--not  _ left, _ but weren't around, and we weren't as close, it felt like--it felt like I had lost something incredibly important. I dunno. 

“I used to be so good at being alone. I really was. I would never complain or cry, but now--it's stupid and fucking--embarrassing as  _ hell _ , but once it really hit me I wouldn't see you guys every single day anymore, I literally couldn't stop crying. I had to cut class to cry.” He pauses to laugh, self deprecating. The redhead roughly wipes his tears away with the back of his hand. “It's stupid. I was so, so good at it, y’know? But not anymore.” He looks past his best friend, further off into the distance, somewhere far. Somewhere where the pain couldn't reach him. 

“Maybe… that whole time, you were just convincing yourself you were okay with being alone.” Shion's voice is quiet and gentle, delicate in a way Chrono feels like he doesn't deserve. And then his best friend pulls him close, and the redhead realizes something he wishes he knew much, much earlier than this.

He was loved.

It was something he’d probably forget. Chrono knew how likely he was to forget the depth of this realization, knowing he would eventually lose sight of the memory of Shion’s expression. The redhead knew his brain’s determination to make him feeling like utter garbage was a lot stronger than Chrono himself felt. He wished he could always understand this, and he wished he could accept he was loved without any sort of cost.

Shion was warm and comforting, and Chrono very easily finds his face buried in the blonde's shoulder, though he curses the way his tears feel like they're ruining Shion's probably expensive shirt.

“I love you, you know?” He says, softly, voice cracking like he's still going through puberty. Chrono grips tightly on Shion's shirt, feeling like a child reluctant to let go. “I love you so, so, so much.” 

And it’s true. He doesn’t want to let go. He doesn’t ever want to let go, ever again. He can’t. It hurts too much, to imagine a future, to imagine a world without them. Part of him wants to run away now. He wants to run away now so he doesn’t need to brave the possibility they might one day part.

He loves them so much it hurts. 

Shion holds him tighter, and Chrono can see the tears shining in his best friend’s eyes. “I love you too, Chrono.” 

Neither of them stop crying for quite some time, and the redhead doesn’t budge from his spot buried in Shion’s chest. “Hey,” Chrono starts, sounding shy. “Um. This is kinda dumb, but, uh. You ‘n Tokoha… won’t leave, right?”

Shion pulls away to look into Chrono’s eyes, and Chrono’s suddenly taken aback by how truly beautiful his best friend was. It felt like a stupid thing to realize, in this moment, but he couldn’t help it. “We won’t. And you can’t leave either, okay? You can’t run away, even if it hurts.”

Chrono tightens his grip on Shion’s shirt. “Okay.” 

“Good.”

“Shion?”

“Hm?”

The redhead hugs him, arms wrapping around Shion’s waist. “Can we stay like this for a while longer?” 

Shion laughs, and pulls Chrono in again. “Mhm. We can.”   
  


* * *

 

 

Chrono’s bedroom is dark. The curtains are shut, but the two current occupants are both awake, but sit in comfortable silence. The redhead clears his throat.

“Hey, Shion?” He asks, voice soft. 

There’s a second of pause before his best friend responds. He’s laying on the futon that Chrono set up on the floor. “Yeah?” 

“Um, about earlier. Sorry if I fucked up your shirt.” 

Shion laughs. “It’s fine, Chrono. Were you beating yourself up over this?”

Fuck, his best friend seriously knows him way too well. Like, disgustingly well. Chrono felt a little bit ashamed with how much Shion and Tokoha knew about him. They knew the parts of him that he tried to hide, parts that he kept well concealed, under wraps, under lock and key. 

“A little bit, yeah. Was it obvious?”

The blonde sits up in bed, and Chrono does, too. “Kinda. To me, at least.”

Chrono looks over at his best friend. “I guess that’s just ‘cuz you know me so well, right? Then again, it’s not like I’m good at hiding how I feel, huh.”

“That too.” Shion agrees, solemnly nodding his head. “You’re really bad at hiding how you feel, Chrono. It always shows on your face, did you know that?” 

The redhead finds himself rolling his eyes, despite the knowledge Shion can’t even see him do it. Whatever. It’s the thought that counted. The fact he rolled his eyes despite Shion’s inability to see in the dark had to mean something, probably. Maybe not, but whatever.

“Yeah, I know.”

Silence creeps in between them again, and Chrono finds himself feeling just a little bit lonely. They were so close, but also somehow so far. He wanted to reach out again, like how he did earlier. Shion had said he wouldn’t leave, but the redhead still wanted to hold onto him tightly, because it would ease his worries. 

“I’m cold.” Chrono lies, hoping Shion will take the bait, and decide to come and cuddle with him. Of course, he could ask normally, but that was way too embarrassing, and his heart would probably stop before he could get the words out. 

“You want me to join you?” Shion asks, and despite the darkness Chrono knows he’s smiling because he can hear the smile in the blonde’s voice. “Hold up.”

Just like that, Shion pulls the covers and crawls into bed with Chrono, wrapping his arms around the redhead. He’s so incredibly warm, and the redhead finds himself feeling so incredibly safe, wrapped in his best friend’s embrace. 

“...Thanks, Shion.” Chrono mutters, and his best friend laughs. 

“Mhm. But you know, it’s fine to be honest with me. If you were lonely and wanted to cuddle, you should have just said so, you know? I wouldn’t have judged you. After all, I am the guy who spends twenty minutes watching you pick out clocks. Though I guess it ended up being more like an hour or so, in the end.” 

This coaxes a laugh out of Chrono. “Decorating the clock was such a good idea. The alarm might be annoying, but at least I’ll wake up to a nice looking clock filled with good memories.” He pauses, adjusting so his face his pressed up against Shion’s chest. Chrono can feel the steady heartbeat, one that’s a handful of beats faster than usual. It matches Chrono’s own, and he feels relieved. He’s not the only one. He’s not alone.

He’ll never be alone again.

And tonight, Chrono found himself looking forward to waking up.

**Author's Note:**

> long time no vanguard fic! i had a really strong urge to write this fic for a really long time, but i finally sat down to do it at.....like, 4am, because i never make any bad decisions in my life, except for when i do, often
> 
> this is based off of multiple conversations i've had with (one of) my best friend,(s) and i wanted to find a way to put words to how i was feeling, and decided to do that the way i'm best at: projecting into characters i need to sue bushiroad for copyright over. i hope the love and care i feel is evident in this fic. of course, this particular work is dedicated to her. thanks for being in my life, even though i'm a huge pain in the ass most of the time, lol
> 
> in any case. i hope everyone who read this enjoyed it, and if you did, feel free to leave a kudo, comment, or hmu on twitter (i'm @shindouchrono), and i hope you have a good day/night/whatever. thanks for reading! (assuming you did, since i keep my ANs at the end of my works.)


End file.
